Electrocapillary contrivance.



A. ORLING. BLEGTROGAPILLARY GONTBIVANGE'.

.APPLIOATION FILED 00T.8, 1911.

atented Oct. 21, 1913.

WITNESS ES dwczd axnn onus. or Lennon.

II'GLAND. ABSIGNOB T OBLING'S TBLEGRAI'B INSI'BUIIIII SYNDICATE; LIMITED, 01 LONDON, ENGLAND.

WTIOCAPILLABY CON'JBIVA-NQ'JI- lpeotlntton 0! Letters rum.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

Application nu 0mma, mu. lerial Io. team.

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Axnr. Onnnm, subject of the King of Sweden, residing at No. 2-22 Seely road, Tooting, London, England, have 6 invented new and useful Improvements in Electrocapillary Contrivances, of which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to improvements in electro-capillary contrivances having for their object the augmentation of the rapidit amplitude and force-action of the disp acement along theconvergent capillary passage of the mercury-electrolyte meeting surface which results from the passage of an electric impulse through the contacting liquids.

According to the present invention the mercury is orced to occupy a portion of the convergent capillary passage which is of 9 smaller bore than that which it would occup if left free, this force being derived by su jecting the smaller end of the convergent capillary passage to a pressure which is less than that of the atmosphere to which the larger end is exposed. Under such circumstances a very small mass of mercury will be endowed with a relatively considerable amount of energy of recovery from the constrained osition and be capable of responding wit great rapidity and precision to any change in the surface-tension of the mercury, resulting from the passage of an electric impulse, by undergoing displacement along the length of the capilla passage.-

' he invention includes means for adjusting the difierence of pressure at the two ends of the capilla assage and for efi'ecting fi -the incidence o t e displaced mercury on a suspended oscillating member for the purpose of indicatin and recording the passagehof the electric impulses.

e accompanying drawing shows, as representative examples, forms of construction which embody the above described invention in a very simple and eflicient manner.

In thJS draw' elevation of an instrument, embodyin the above described invention, adapted to indicats and record a rapid succession of mixed 'positive and negatlve impulses. Fig. 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, one form of construction of the new electro-capillary element which constitutes the fundamental feature of this invention. Fig. 3 shows a I Figure 1 is an isometric modified construction whereby the position of the mercury within the converging capillary passa e can be adjusted, Fig. 4 being a section ta en along the line 4-- t of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows a form of construction which is alternative to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring first to Fig. 2, a a are two like" convergent capillary tubes the bore of which, at the smaller end, is about to {got an inch in diameter. Into the largcrends of thesetubes some mercury is inserted and, by means of plugs not shown in the drawing which are temporarily inserted in the larger ends, the mercur is forced toward the smaller ends of tie capillary tubes. The unoccupied portion of the smaller ends oi the tubes are then filled with an electrolyte such as weak sulfuric acid for example. A U-shaped tube b is then filled with the like electrolyte and the smaller ends of the tubes a a are inserted in the open ends thereof and sealed therein in a manner to exclude the admission of air. The above mentioned plugs are subsequently removed, whereupon the mercury will tend to retreat from the smaller portions of the capillary tubesbut will be prevented from so doing by the fact that the consequence of an actual retreat would be the production of a vacuum within the U-shaped tube 6, since the electrolyte is non-expansible. Under such circumstances the mercury will be constrained to continue to occupy the smaller ends of the capillary tubes by the excess of pressure of the atmosphere, acting at the larger end, over the pressure within the interior of the U-shaped tube 6, which pressure will automatically become less than that of the atmosphere to a degree which is just sufiicient to balance the surface-tension effort of the mercury to move toward the larger end of the capillary tube. If now an electric impulse be transmitted throu h the electrolyte from the mercury in one tu e to that in the other, the surface tension of the mercury at the inner end of that at which'the impulse enters will be momentarily relaxed, whereas the surface tenslon' at the inner end of the mercury in the other tube will be increased. There will in consequence bean immediate dis lacement of the mercury in the direction 0 the passage 7 ofthe electric impulse and a very rapld recovery to the normal position on the cessation of the impulse.

The-rate at which the mercurial displacement will respond to the making and breaking of the electric circuit is very much greater than that which will occur when the mercury is forced into the constriction under the action merely of a small amount of gravitational force such as has hitherto been employed. One reason for the increased rapidity is due to the fact that the mass to be moved is very much less, and another reason is the greater intensity of the force action which is rendered available for effecting displacement when the surface tension of the mercury, which is in a state of exaggerated strain, undergoes a change by the passa e of an electric unpulse.

To faci itate the direct incidence of' the mercury on a freely suspended indicator or recorder, the unoccupied portions of the capillary tubes are filled with mercury ciently to allow the globular extremities thereof to protrude beyond the ends of the capillary tubes and, to minimizethe quantlty of such added mercury, the portions of the tube which carried the iplugs, temporarily employed, may be out o An alternative construction whereby the mercury can be forced to occupy the smaller portions of the convergent capillary tubes a a is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in which the U-shaped tube b is provided with a'branch b WlllCh is closed by an elastic chamber 12 the volume of which is adapted to be adjusted by a screw 6". The wall of this chamber may, for example, be composed of thick rubber. The tubes a a are inserted and sealed into the U-shaped tube 7) when the chamber 12 is in the contracted condition and, subsequently on unscrewing the screw b the expansion of the chamber 6 will cause the mercury to be drawn toward the smaller ends of the capillary tubes to any adjusted degree that may be desirable.

In Fig. 5 which shows a construction alternative to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the tube 1) which contains the electrolyte is capable of being regulated in respect to its Volume capacity by closing the end, remote from the capillary tubes a a, by a rubber cap 6, the diaphragm portion of which can be adjusted in position by means of a screw b".

Referring to Fig. 1, c is a frame on which is mounted the new electro-capillary element a--b and, in contact with the protruding mercury thereof, a plate at composed of an electrical insulating substance, such as mica for example, is so mounted as to be capable of being freely vibrated about a vertical axis by wires 01 (1 The disk is provided, on one border thereof, with an electrically conducting surface e connected to the wire d against which abuts the protruding mercury of one of the tubes a and insulated therefrom, on the opposite border of the plate another conducting surface 0 connected to 21', against which abuts the protruding mercury of the other tube a. In such a manner an electric circuit through the conductin wires (1 (1' will be completed throu'h t emercury and electrolyte containe in the electro-capillar element 0-1), and b the passa e of an electric impulse, the p ate d! will angularly displaced by the consequent further. protrusion of the mercur from one of the tubes avand the correspon ing retirement of, the mercury within the other tube a. By means of escrow f the pressure of themercu on the contacting surfaces e a can be a justed. Secured to the plated is a siphon recorder 9 one end 9 of which dips into a chamber h of ink while the other end 9 rests lightly on a strip of pa er k which, in the usual manner 1s cause to progress uniformly and ca record of t e electric lmpulses marked t ereon as the result of the angular displacements of the plate d. To eliminate friction between t e paper is and the extremity g of the siphon recorder, a trembler is provided in the usual way as for example by an induced intermittent electric current in a helithe cal wire m. To ermit the sequence of electric im' ulses to e viewed on a considerable scale 0 amplitude, a small reflecting mirror 1 may be carried on the axis of suspension of the plate whereby a telegraphic message may be read by a person conversant with the code of transmission.

I claim: a

1. An .electro-capillary contrivance comprisin two converging capillary tubes occupie by mercury, a closed chamber containing an electrolyte into which the smaller ends of the capilliary tubes are sealed and within which a pressure less than that of the atmosphere is maintained and means for transmitting electric impulses from the mercury in one tube to that in the other through the interposed electrolyte.

2. An electro-capillary oontrivance comprising two converging capillary tubes occupied by mercury, a closed chamber containing an electrolyte into which the smaller ends of the capillary tubes are sealedand within which a pressure adjusted to a suitable degree less than that of the atmosphere is maintained and means for transmitting electric impulses from the mercury in one tube to that in the other through the interposed electrolyte.

3. An. electro-eapillary contrivance comprisin two converging capillary tubes occupie by mercury, a closed chamber containing an electrolyte into which the smaller ends of the capillary tubes are sealed and within which a pressure less than that of the atmosphere is maintained and a pivoted plate whose surface makes contact with the exposed surfaces of the mercury contained in the capillary tubes and forms a. portion of an electric circuit which conveys electric impulses from the mercury in one tube to that in the other through the interposed electrolyte.

4. An electro-capillary contrivance comprising two converging capillary tubes occupied by mercury, a closed chamber containing an electrolyte into which the smaller ends of the capillary tubes are sealed and within which a pressure less than that of the atmosphere is maintained, a pivoted plate whose surface makes contact with the exposed surfaces of the mercury contained in the capillary tubes and forms a portion of an electric circuit which conveys electric 15 impulses from the mercury in one tube to that in the other through the interposedelectrolyte, and means for recording the angular displacements of the said pivoted plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 20 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AXEL ORLING. Witnesses:

ROBT. O. A. BLAKE, HERBERT D. JAMESON. 

